Heroin smuggling operation busted at BIA
by Jayampathy Jayasinghe
The Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) sleuths busted another heroin
smuggling operation when they took in for questioning three passengers
at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) attempting to smuggle
three kilograms of heroin last Friday, PNB sources told the Sunday
Observer.
The detection was made when a man and a woman who arrived on a flight
from Chennai carrying two large briefcases were searched by PNB officers
and found two packets concealed in the two briefcases that contained
three kilos of heroin. The Brown Sugar variety of heroin has a street
value of Rs. 12 million.
According to PNB sources the man was a suspect drug dealer who had
travelled to India about 15 times this year alone.
"We kept a close tab on the suspect and took him for questioning
after receiving a tip off," the sources said. This was the biggest haul
of heroin detected by the PNB this year at the airport. The third man
who had accompanied the couple was also taken in for further
investigation.
In June this year the PNB tipped off the Maldivian authorities who
arrested a man carrying 7.8 Kilograms of heroin with a street value of
US dollars 2.7 million. According to the PNB there are about 15 Sri
Lankans in Indian jails serving sentences for drug offences. The PNB has
close ties with the Indian and other SAARC agencies that deals in drug
smuggling operations. |